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Ms Rudd, who was appointed in November, acknowledged there had been issues with UC since its launch. But she believes it is a ‘force for good’ which is helping people get back into work.

She said: “The purpose of me coming here, as part of a nationwide tour, is to see what’s happening on the ground, to reassure myself that Universal Credit is working and also to find out what we can do better.

“UC is a force for good. It does give better outcomes for people. It offers what we seek it to offer, which is to be a safety net and also to help people into work, without the terribly huge tax rate that there used to be.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd

“I recognise that there have been problems as it has been taken forward. That has made people fearful of it, and so one of the reasons I’m visiting different Jobcentres is to speak to the work coaches, and to clients as well, to find out what has been working well for them, as well as what hasn’t been.”

Critics of UC often point to the five weeks claimants have to wait to receive their first payments, which means many cash-strapped people have been forced to seek help from food banks and other charities to tide them over.

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Ms Rudd said the Government was working to ensure more people are paid on time, with the offer of advanced payments being widened out to all claimants.

She added: “There have been issues previously, when UC started, with the time it took to get people the money that they needed, and we have addressed some of those. First of all, the vast majority of people, around 84 per cent, get the money they are expecting on time. I want to continue the improvement on that. It wasn’t like that when it first started.

“I’ve been told that in this office, there were three people on the Friday before Christmas who were able to get advanced payments on their application that day.

Food bank use increased in Stoke-on-Trent last year

“It was those elements, of getting the money into people’s hands earlier which were critical to stop the growth in foodbanks. I regret the growth there has been in food banks and I hope that these changes will stop that.”

Ms Rudd also said that she was struck by the ‘huge enthusiasm’ of Jobcentre staff in Longton.

She was accompanied on her visit by Stoke-on-Trent South MP Jack Brereton.

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Mr Brereton said: “Only a few people have come to me with issues with UC since the roll-out last summer, but when they have presented with any specific issues, the Jobcentre here does some really excellent work and they were very much supporting people. They have been working with partners, such as Stoke-on-Trent City Council, to ensure people get the help they need.”

UC, which is replacing six existing benefits, could eventually affect 48,000 households in Stoke-on-Trent.

The number of claimants in Newcastle was only 510 in November, but this figure should rise after full service started in the borough last month. Another 667 people are claiming the benefit in the Moorlands.